Steel conversion apparatus

ABSTRACT

A vessel for converting molten ferrous metal to steel is pivotable about a horizontal axis and has bottom tuyeres which permit the blowing of oxygen and other gases upwardly through the molten metal. The tuyeres are arranged on a first metal plate attached to the vessel&#39;&#39;s bottom refractory and the gas distribution system for coupling the tuyeres to a source of gas is coupled to a second plate for rapid attachment and detachment from the first plate.

United States Patent 1 Pearce [73] Assignee: Pennsylvania EngineeringCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Mar. 30, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 239,666

[51] Int. Cl. C210 5/34 [58] Field of Search 266/36 P, 36 PP, 41, 35,266/35 X, 36; 75/59, 60

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,977,108 3/1961 Cogelja etal 266/35 3,706,549 12/1912 Knuppel et a1. 3,330,645 7/1967 Moustier et211.... 596,704 1/1898 Hartenstein 49,055 7/1865 Bessemer 266/36 [451Mar. 12, 1974' 51,398 12/1865 Bessemer 266/34 51,401 12/1865 Bessemer75/43 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,017,694 4/1971 Germany 75/60Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant ,E xaminerW. R. BriggsAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Fred Wiviott 57 7 V ABSTRACT A vessel forconverting molten ferrous metal to steel is pivotable about a horizontalaxis and has bottom tuyeres which permit the blowing of oxygen and othergases upwardly through the molten metal. The tuyeres V are arranged onafirst metal plate attached to the vessels bottom refractory and the gasdistribution system for coupling the tuyeres to a source of gas iscoupled to a second plate for rapid attachment and detachment from thefirst plate.

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1 STEEL CONVERSION APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bottom blownconverter vessels have been developed for treating molten metal by theinjection of oxygen through tuyeres located in the bottom of the vessel.In order to prolong the life of the vessels refractory, each of theoxygen tuyeres is surrounded by a second tuyere for injecting ahydrocarbon gas, such as propane. Such vessels normally include largenumbers of such tuyeres each of which must be connected to therespective gas sources. Because the vessel bottom is consumed morerapidly than the remainder of the vessel, it becomes periodicallynecessary to change vessel bottoms. In order that costly equipment willnot lie idle, the bottoms are fabricated away from the reactor site andare then assembled to the vessel in a generally assembled condi tionwhen required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general object of the invention is toprovide a tuyere assembly for a bottom blown converter vessel whichpermits rapid assembly and disassembly from the vessel.

This and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the detailed description thereof taken withtheaccompanying drawings.

In general terms, the invention comprises aconverter vessel having abottom tuyere system wherein the tu yeres are attached to a supportmember adapted to be secured to the vessel s refractory bottom and a gasdistribution system attached to a second support member adapted to bemounted on the first support member wherein the piping system may berapidly connected and disconnected from the individual tuyeres.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view,partly in section, of a converter vessel having a tuyere systemaccording to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 shows the tuyere system of the vessel illustrated in FIG. 1 ingreater detail;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along lines 33 of FIG, 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of one of the tuyeres illustrated in FIG. 2,with parts broken away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A bottom blown converter vesselas shown inFIG. 1 to include a metallic shell 11 and a refractory lining12. A tuyere system 13 is provided at the lower end of the vessel topermit the injection of gases by means which will be described morefully below. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the convertervessels of the type illustrated are generally supported in aconventional manner on a trunnion ring 14 which has a trunnion 15extending from each of its opposite sides. The trunnions 15 are suitablysupported in a well known manner on hearing structures (not shown) andare coupled to a suitable drive mechanism (not shown) for tilting vessel10 to each of a plurality of positions as may be required during aprocess cycle. A smoke hood 16 may be disposed above the open upper endof vessel 10 when the latter is in its vertical position shown in FIG. 1to prevent the discharge of pollutants during operation of the vessel.

The tuyere system 13 is shown more specifically in FIGS. 2 and 3 toinclude a unitary refractory bottom structure 20 which is receivedagainst an opening 21 formed in the lower'wall of refractory lining 12.A first metallic plate 22 isprovided for supporting the individualtuyeres 23 as will be described more fully hereinbelow. A secondmetallic plate 25 is provided for supporting the gas distribution system26. The plate 22 may be suitably secured to the underside of the vesselin any 1 manner well known in the art such as by bolts 27 which passthrough suitable aligned openings in the periphery of plate 22 and inplate 28 affixed to the refractory structure 20. Similarly plate 25 maybe secured to plate 22 in any suitable manner such as by pins 29 whichare affixed to plate 25 and pass through openings 30 in plates 25 andare secured therein by wedges 31 received in slots 32.

The gas distribution system 26 includes an oxygen distributor 33suitably coupled to a pipe 34 which in turn is connected to a source ofoxygen and powdered materials which may be entrained :in the oxygenstream. The distributor 33 includes a cylindrical body into which thepipe 34 is connected at one side and adjacent its lower end to provide avortex action and thereby insure mixing of the oxygen and entrainedparticles. A plurality of connecting pipes 35 connect the oxygendistributor 33 adjacent its upper end to the individual tuyeres 23, aswill be discussed more fully below.

Gas distribution system 26 also includes a manifold pipe 36-fordistributing a hydrocarbon gas, such as propane. Manifold 36 isconnected to a suitable gas source through pipe 37 and to the individualtuyeres 23 by pipes 38. As indicated above the gas distribution system26. including distributor 33 and manifold pipe 36 are suitably securedto plate 25.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the individual tuyeres 23 are shown to includean inner tuyere pipe 40 and an outer coaxial tuyere pipe 41 which isspaced from inner pipe 40. Inner pipe 40 may be connected to the oxygenpipe delivery 35 by a branch pipe 42 and an elbow connection 43. Outertuyere pipe 41 may be coupled to manifold pipe 36 by coupling pipe 44,mixing chamber 45, coupling 46, pipe 47, and union 48.

Inner tuyere pipe 40 also passes through union 48 and has a reduced,outer diameter which begins at the point of connection of outer tuyerepipe 41 with said union 48. Nuts 50 and 52 respectively secure thetuyere pipes 40 and 41 to the union 48 and to each other. In addition,outer tuyere pipe 41 is provided with a flange 54 intennediate its endsand having a plurality of spaced apart apertures 56 which areregisterable with tapped holes 57 formed in plate 22. In this manner,the tuyere pipes 40 may be secured to plate 22 by means of bolts 58. Theplate 25 to which distributor 33, the manifold pipe 36 and the pipes 35are secured, has enlarged openings 60 which permit plate 25 to pass overthe flange 54 and union 48 of each tuyere 23.

The gas distribution system 26 may be protected by a housing secured tothe lower plate 25. Housing 70 is provided with an access door 71 whichis hinged at 72 so that it may be opened by the removal of bolts '73 topermit disconnection of the manifold pipes 37 and 34 from the tuyeres 23prior to separation of the plates 22 and 25.

In a manner which will now be discussed, the tuyere mounting arrangementpermits the tuyeres 23 and distribution system 26 to be disassembledfrom the refractory bottom structure 20 and the latter removed forreplacement. In addition, should any one or more of the tuyere pipes 40or 41 require replacement, this may be done on an individual basis orthey may be removed for replacement along with the bottom structure 20.For example, should it become necessary to replace an inner tuyere pipe40, nuts 52 of unions 48 and 62 of elbow 43 are released which permitsremoval and replacement of inner tuyere pipe 40. A new tuyere pipe maythen be substituted and nuts 52 and 62 tightened to couple the newtuyere pipe 40 to the system and mechanically hold it in place;

Should it become necessary to replace an individual outer .tuyere pipe41 the inner tuyere 40 is first removed in the manner just discussed.Nuts 50 of union 48 and nut 63 of union 46 are released therebypermitting removal of the union 47. Nuts 54 are then released wherebyouter tuyere pipe 40 may be removed from the refractory bottom structure20 and a new tuyere pipe substituted in its place. The tuyere pipes 40and 41 are then remounted and reconnected to the gas distribution systemby reversing the procedure just described.

If the bottom structure 20 is to be replaced along with all the tuyerepipes 40 and 41, the latter are first disconnected from the distributionsystem 26. This is accomplished by releasing all the nuts 62 and 63 ofunions 43 and 46, respectively. The wedge members 31 are then removedfrom each of the slots 32 and the plate 25 lowered away from the bottom20 along with the distribution system 26 as the openings 60 pass overthe tuyeres 23. The bottom may then be released from vessel along withthe tuyeres 23. If, on the other hand, the tuyere assemblies 23 are tobe removed along with the distribution system 26, all of the nuts 27 arereleased. This releases the bottom plate 22 from the refractory bottomstructure 20. However, plates 22 and 25 remain coupled permittingremoval of the distribution assembly 26 and all of the tuyeres 23.

Another possibility is the removal of all of the inner tuyere pipes 40along with the distribution system 26. In this event, all of the nuts 50are released thus uncoupling the outer tuyere pipe 41 from the unions 48whereby the plate 25 may be removed by the release of wedges 31. Theouter tuyere pipes 41 remain in position on plate 22, however.

In certain instances, it may be desirable to replace either some or allof the inner and/or outer tuyere pipes along with the bottom structure20. This can be done on a selective basis by allowing those to bereplaced to remain coupled to the bottom structure and removing thetuyere pipes 40 and 41 which do not need replacement along with thedistribution system 26, by selectively releasing the appropriate nuts50, 52, 62, and 63.

It can be seen from the foregoing that the tuyere pipes may be replacedas required or they may be replaced in groups or entirely along with thebottom structure 20. In any event, the distribution system 26 need notbe disassembled when the tuyere pipes are replaced either individuallyor in groups. The distribution system remains mounted on its separateplate 25 and may be retained as a unit for reconnection to the tuyeres23 after the latter have been replaced either individually or with a newbottom structure 20. In addition, should the bottom 20 requirereplacement without replacement of some or all of the tuyeres 23, thelatter may be retained in a coupled condition relative to thedistribution system 26 for insertion into suitable openings inbottomstructure 20 after the latter has been repositioned. As a result,when a new bottom is to be replaced on the vessel, a substantial savingin time is possible because the number of connections between thedistribution system 26 and the tuyeres 23 can be minimized. In addition,alignment problems between the tuyeres and the distribution system 26are minimized because the latter remains in its assembled conditionduring a bottom replacement.

While only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it is not intended to be limited thereby but only by thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A refractory lined vessel for treating molten metal,

an opening formed in the lower end said refractory lining,

refractory means disposed in said opening and substantially closing thesame,

a plurality of passages formed through said refractory means and fromtheoutside to the inside of said vessel,

a first metallic plate affixed to said refractory means,

a plurality of tuyere means extending through said first metallic plateand removably affixed thereto, one of said tuyere means extendingthrough each of said passage means,

a second metallic plate,

means for securing said second metallic plate to said first metallicplate and on the side thereof away from said refractory means, and

gas distribution means mounted on said second metallic plate andincluding means for releasably coupling each of said tuyere means tosaid gas distribution means.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said tuyeremeans includes an inner tuyere pipe means and an outer tuyere pipemeans,

said gas distribution means including a first gas distributing portionand first coupling means for releasably coupling said first gasdistributing portion to each of said inner tuyere pipe means,

said gas distribution means including a second gas distributing portionand second coupling means for releasably coupling each of said outertuyere pipe ma tL i -ssssn as-diSIL PBti LPQrtiQLtQ-a' second gassource.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 and including first mountingmeans for mounting said inner tuyere pipe means within said outer tuyerepipe means in a concentric spaced relation and second mounting means formounting said tuyere pipe means on said first metallic plate.

5. The combination .set forth in claim 4 wherein said first and secondmetallic plates have a plurality of aligned apertures, one of saidtuyere means extending through each of said aligned openings.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said first and secondmounting means are separately releasable whereby said outer tuyere pipemay be released from said first metallic plate with said tuyere pipescoua 5 6 pled to each other or said inner tuyere pipe may be unsaidapertures in said second metallic plate being of" coupled from saidouter tuyere pipe with the latter cua larger size than said tuyeremeans, whereby pied to sai fir m li pl said second metallic plate andsaid gas distribu- 7. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein saidi means a b emoved from said first first and second metallic plates havea plurality of 5 lli plate i h removing id were aligned apertures, oneof said tuyere means extending means from Said first metallic plate.through each of said aligned apertures.

1. A refractory lined vessel for treating molten metal, an openingformed in the lower end said refractory lIning, refractory meansdisposed in said opening and substantially closing the same, a pluralityof passages formed through said refractory means and from the outside tothe inside of said vessel, a first metallic plate affixed to saidrefractory means, a plurality of tuyere means extending through saidfirst metallic plate and removably affixed thereto, one of said tuyeremeans extending through each of said passage means, a second metallicplate, means for securing said second metallic plate to said firstmetallic plate and on the side thereof away from said refractory means,and gas distribution means mounted on said second metallic plate andincluding means for releasably coupling each of said tuyere means tosaid gas distribution means.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1wherein each of said tuyere means includes an inner tuyere pipe meansand an outer tuyere pipe means, said gas distribution means including afirst gas distributing portion and first coupling means for releasablycoupling said first gas distributing portion to each of said innertuyere pipe means, said gas distribution means including a second gasdistributing portion and second coupling means for releasably couplingeach of said outer tuyere pipe means to said second gas distributionmeans.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 2 and including first meansfor connecting said first gas distributing means to a first gas sourceand second means for connecting said second gas distributing means to asecond gas source.
 4. The combination set forth in claim 3 and includingfirst mounting means for mounting said inner tuyere pipe means withinsaid outer tuyere pipe means in a concentric spaced relation and secondmounting means for mounting said tuyere pipe means on said firstmetallic plate.
 5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein saidfirst and second plate means have a plurality of aligned apertures, oneof said tuyere means extending through each of said aligned openings. 6.The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said first and secondmounting means are separately releasable whereby said outer tuyere pipemay be released from said first metallic plate with said tuyere pipescoupled to each other or said inner tuyere pipe may be uncoupled fromsaid outer tuyere pipe with the latter coupled to said first metallicplate.
 7. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said first andsecond metallic plates have a plurality of aligned apertures, one ofsaid tuyere means extending through each of said aligned openings, saidapertures in said second plate being of a larger size than said tuyeres,whereby said second plate and said gas distribution means may be removedfrom said first plate without removing said tuyeres from said firstplate.